We're pleased to say that the tremendous amount of work that has been achieved is in large part due to the support we've received from generous Canadians. Canadians donated over $80 million to support the Typhoon Haiyan response. A generation of children thank you, but continue to need your support.

From afar, we witnessed the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. To date, Canada's Jewish community has commendably raised close to $200,000 for relief in the Philippines. We will never forget the role the Philippines played in helping to push for the Jewish people's salvation and in ensuring that our futures are secure thanks to the creation of the Jewish state.

It feels like I'm watching some sort of terrible, tragic cosmic joke as the climate talks in Warsaw prepare to open with a bleak prospect for any real action while Haiyan returns to make the point that the world seemed to miss with Bopha last year. The United Nations climate talks have devolved into what feels like a negotiated surrender.